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He said the country would no longer beg for foreign funding as it was expecting to rake in more than $2 billion per year from diamond sales.
“We have been on sanctions before and this development to slap us with sanctions will not affect our operations. We will continue as usual,” said Mr Munashe Shava, the mine manager of Marange Resources.
Commenting on the development yesterday, Mines and Mining Development Deputy Minister, Gift Chimanikire, said they had not received formal communication from the US Embassy confirming the inclusion of
Marange Resources and Mbada Diamond Mining on the US sanctions list.
He said they were not aware of the conditionalities of the sanctions or what they entailed.
“At the moment we don’t know what they are talking about because we are not aware of the conditionalities or consequences of the said sanctions.
“The ZMDC, the responsible parastatal, has not received communication either,” said Mr Chimanikire.
He said his ministry can only react to the said sanctions after they have seen documentation regarding them.
Marange Resources is a company that is 100 percent owned by ZMDC, which holds seven special grants in the Marange area. ZMDC’s mandate includes planning, co-ordinating and implementing development projects on behalf of the State.
Mbada mine manager Mr Gerald Sithole echoed Mr Shava’s sentiments and said it was business as usual despite the sanctions.
“Our operations will not be affected,” said Mr Sithole.
“Our operations have nothing to do with the West. As a company we have not felt anything before. Maybe we will start feeling the effects if those who are imposing sanctions stop us physically from mining.”
The director of another diamond mining company, Anjin, which was not put on the sanctions list, Mr Munyaradzi Machacha, said local companies and the country in general did not deserve sanctions.
“We do not deserve sanctions. Zimbabwe does not deserve those sanctions at all,” said Mr Machacha when briefing journalists about the operations of Anjin, which is a 50-50 joint venture between ZMDC and
Anhui Foreign Economic Construction Company Limited of China.
“The sanctions are unnecessary and uncalled for. Those companies don’t deserve the sanctions. There have never been any human rights violations during the course of the mining of diamonds here.”
Zanu-PF secretary for information and publicity Cde Rugare Gumbo on Tuesday said the move to put the two companies on the sanctions list was typical of the US and vowed that Zimbabwe will fight back.
Online Reporter